On events less criminal sanctions, more fines

The deterrence of effective fines rather than inapplicable criminal sanctions. On manifestations and public gatherings not only the prevention stop, now the emblematic norm of the security decree law approved on Thursday evening by the Council of Ministers. But also decriminalisation balanced by the tightening of fines as well as the introduction of a ban on participation for those convicted of a number of crimes. In the now recurrent (much has been made to discuss the entry into force less than a year ago, as part of the previous omnibus intervention on security, of the tightening of theroadblocks; a few days ago the request for three criminal convictions by the Bologna Public Prosecutor's Office against three metalworkers' trade unionists) the government and majority's focus on street demonstrations now includes the criminal irrelevance, replaced, however, by conspicuous pecuniary measures, of the failure to inform the police commissioner of a meeting in a public place and the failure to comply with the prohibition to hold the meeting or the time and place prescriptions dictated by the police commissioner.

In the event of failure to inform the Questore, the current penalties of arrest for up to six months and a fine of up to 413 euro, imposed on the promoters, are replaced by administrative pecuniary sanctions ranging from a minimum of 1,000 euro to a maximum of 10,000 euro, extended also to the hypothesis of meetings promoted in electronic or digital mode. In the event of non-compliance with the Authority's prescriptions, the current penalties of up to one year's imprisonment and a fine of up to 413 euros are replaced with administrative pecuniary sanctions ranging from a minimum of one thousand to a maximum of 12 thousand euros.

In the event of failure to comply with the restrictions imposed on circulation or the prescribed route, with danger to public safety or security, or in the event of obstruction or hindrance to the proper functioning of the emergency public assistance services, an administrative fine of between one thousand and ten thousand euros shall be imposed.

In the event of disturbance of the peaceful conduct of a meeting in a public place or of the proper conduct of the service of public order andsecurity, a fine ranging from EUR 500 to EUR 3,000 shall be imposed.

Also decriminalised is the hypothesis of disobedience to the order to break up the meeting or assembly - previously punished with arrest and a fine of up to 413 euros - with the application of a pecuniary administrative sanction from 2,000 to 20,000 euros. Finally, subsection 1 of Article 654 of the Criminal Code, 'seditious shouting and demonstrations', which has already been decriminalised, is amended by increasing the administrative fine from 400 to 2,400 euro instead of the current one from 103 to 619 euro.